C/n 750
'' |image = thumb|300px |caption = C/n 750 in the air again after restoration in New Zealand. |designation = Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa 'Oscar' |version = Ki-43-I Kō (Ki-43-Ia) }} History Built by Nakajima at Ota during November 1942 with uncoded serial number 650 and construction number 750. Delivered to the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) and assigned to the 11th Sentai,https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/ki-43/750.html 2nd Chutai.Nohara, Shigeru with Ryuichi Mochizuki and Kunio Aoi: Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" Hayabusa / 中島一式戦闘機「隼」/ Nakajima isshiki sentōki hayabusa. Tokyo, Japan: Dai-Nippon Kaiga, 2000. ISBN 4-499-22735-6. It is at present unknown whether the lightning sign of the 11th Sentai was applied to the tail of this aircraft, and if so, in the red 2nd Chutai colour. Wartime History This aircraft was transported as cargo aboard an ship or aboard an aircraft transport from Japan to Truk, then ferried to Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul, where it operated during late 1942 until 1945 and managed to avoid being damaged on the ground or in the air. Sometime during 1945 this aircraft made a bad landing at Vunakanau Airfield, that required an engine and propeller change. Repaired, this Oscar was carefully hidden four miles from Vunakanau Airfield as one of the few remaining aircraft. file:Cn750-AWM-4100831.JPG|As it was found. Japanese prisoners with Ki-43 Oscar 750 hidden four miles from Vunakanau Airfield Credit: RNZAF Collection via AWM P00001.340 Date: September 1945 file:Nakajima-Ki-43-I-Oscar-Manufacture-Number-750-in-storage-with-Sid-Marshall-1960s.jpg|Waiting for restoration at Mr. Syd Marshall, who stored it in his hanger at Bankstown Airfield after partial restoration. Ki 43 I hayabusa cn 750 Australia c.jpg|In Sydney, NSW, Australia. Aircraft on the roof of Roselands shopping centre, perhaps for the 1965 opening.http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/ Wreckage When Australian forces occupied Rabaul, RAAF personnel heard rumors about an intact Japanese aircraft near Vunakanau Airfield and reported it to S/Ldr Denys Hamilton. With the help of Japanese prisoners, the aircraft was located and photographed in situ during September 1945. Later, the Oscar was disassembled by Japanese prisoners and crated. During December 1945, the War Department shipped the aircraft to Australia as a war prize. At first it remained crated and dismantled at RAAF Richmond Airfield in New South Wales. I was accepted by the Australian War Memorial (AWM) on 14 July 1949 and transported to Canberra, where it remained in storage until 1953, when it was sold due to space constraints to Mr. Bob Curtis of Sydney . Next, in 1962, it was sold to Mr. Syd Marshall, who stored the Oscar in his hanger at Bankstown Airfield. In 1980 it was sold to Mr. Jack Davidson, and it changed hands again in 1985, when it was sold to Mr. Colin Pay.http://www.warbirdsonline.com.au/2016/01/29/nakajima-ki-43-i-oscar-hayabusa/ file:Nakajima Ki 43 Oscar The Oaks NSW 1984 Photo by John Parker b.jpg file:Nakajima Ki 43 Oscar The Oaks NSW 1984 Photo by Ashley Briggs.jpg|The Oakes, NSW, 1984. Photos by Ashley Briggs file:Nakajima Ki 43 Oscar The Oaks NSW 1984 Photo by Ashley Briggs a.jpg Restoration Starting in the late 1980s, exterior restoration work was begun by Colin Pay. During 1994, the aircraft was sold to the Alpine Fighter Collection and shipped in a container to New Zealand for further restoration. By 1996, the Oscar was externally restored and capable of taxing on the ground. At the 1996 Warbirds over Wanaka Air show, the Oscar taxied for the first time since 1945 and even flew. The aircraft got registered in New Zealand as ZK-OSC. file:Nakajima Ki 43 Oscar SNew Zealand Photo by John Parker.jpg|In New Zealnd Photo by John Parker file:Nakajima-Ki-43-I-Oscar-Number-750-Wanaka-after-restoration-1990s-image-source-unknown.jpg|At Wanaka file:176090 198553950156336 5026282 o.jpg|Taxiing During 1999 C/n 750 was sold to Paul Allen of the Flying Heritage Collection (FHC), and was shipped to the United States. It got registered with the FAA as 760N on 12 May 2004 with the owner listed as Vulcan Warbirds, Inc. Since the spring of 2004, it is placed on static display at the Flying Heritage Collection. file:Dsc02907-800x.jpg file:750-12322951 1009450502409392 2835564822707766605 o.jpg|At the Flying Heritage Collection file:Dsc02902-800x.jpg Sources Category:Survivors Category:Nakajima Ki-43 Category:World War 2